Article about CMS and the reinvention of Instruction

http://thejournal.com/Articles/2004/10/01/Course-Management-Systems-and-the-Reinvention-of-Instruction.aspx?Page=1

Project Proposal

Well here is the last one that is required for the class. I hope that I continue this blog and that others will still share their knowledge and viewpoints of all and any topics of technology in the world of education with me!



I look forward to using and incorporating technology into my lessons, classes and content for many years to come.



I posted my Project Proposal below, for a previous class. Here is another way to get to it!

For class members I will also put it in the class!


http://workspace.office.live.com/?wa=wsignin1.0#welderwow/SCORE/Instructional Technology Project.docx

Course Management Systems

I have been taking online classes at the college level for the last 5+ years.

I first started with an application that isn't even available anymore. Then moved to using the Angel network. I have now taken classes with angel, e-campus, blackboard and others. I have done professional development with a variety of other learning applications that are out there.

I think to this point I like e-campus the most.

A course management system is a platform where someone is able to post, save, and develop components of content for a wide variety of people to use in their search for greater knowledge.

These systems can be used alone, or along side or in conjuntction with in person learning. All of these aspects needto be taken into account prior to creating the course.

Here is a site, where you can choose a number of different platforms and review them side by side! http://www.edutools.info/item_list.jsp?pj=8

The Course Management System is where you controle, and present the content.

A Learning Management System is a platform, where you can also take attendance, view how often someone is online, see online test results to name only a few of what can be accomplished with a Learning Management System.

I like most of those that I have used. I have come to find that the difference in the classes, is in direct relation to the instructor for each class.

A bad or inferior class is not always the direct result from the instructor. There are those courses that are developed by a course creator, or team and the instructor can only deliver the content and manage what has been made available to them.

I think that the more the instructor is invested in the course the better the course works as an overall learning experience for all students.

Students have to be a different kind of individual from what many people think of when they think of a student in a class. They do not sit in a room and listen to a lecture, they must be self motivated and very disciplined to ensure that they are doing everything needed to gain all the learning that is available to them not only within the course and material stored on the platform, but I believe on the web as a whole!

As far as all of the different technology that we have been introduced to have explored in this course I think that if you use and incorporate many of them together you can present a class online without the use of a course management system.

I do believe that the use of the system is easier to use, especially for someone who is not computer, internet friendly.

I also want to mention that online learning, with or without the use of a course management, or learning management system is NOT for everyone. There are those who will struggle with learning in this manner. There are those that need to have the human factor.

But for many this form of gaining knowledge is the wisest choice for them, either because of limited, or restricted time. Because of their travel schedule, work or home life that would make it hard for them to go to a traditional school and classroom setting to gain their knowledge.

I absolutely love online learning! I have spent upwards of 100 course hours online to date and am looking at applying for admission to another graduate degree program for administration in education.

So as I continue my education online, I also want to wish anyone else Good Luck on continuing their education weather it be online or off!

Online Office applications and Word Processing

I have been using Microsoft Office Live Online for the past year. I had a flashdrive crash on me and lost a lot of information over a year ago. I wanted a more secure way to store my documents, but still be able to access them in a variety of places, home, parents house, school, union hall.

Then I started working with my JATC on a wide variety of topics and issues and the need for collaboration was needed among multiple people. So we started working, sharing documents with Live. It made things very easy to use and I liked how it eliminated the need to email documents back and forth.

The chat capabilities within live online is nice.

Unfortunately with Microsoft still having a strong hold on the word processing and spreadsheet business, I found this one nice to work with as the documents work well.

I would love to get away from Microsoft, so I was happy to see the links to other online applications.

ZoHo is a great application. I like how it works, I posted my project below directly from their site to my blog. It was easy to use and navigate. I hope that it takes a stronger hold of the industry.

Instructional Technology Project

	8/1/2009
Business 101 Class Proposal Initial Class Proposal
			Michele Robbins

Business 101 Class Proposal

Initial Class Proposal

Sheet Metal Business 101 was developed to help union sheet metal workers who are considering going into business for themselves, to prepare them for the challenges involved in becoming union sheet metal contractors.

In this course you’ll start byasking yourself some important questions: Am I ready to own my own business? Do I have what it takes? If I do this, what are the risks? What will be the rewards? Once you decide that you’ve got the skills, personality and support to take on this exciting opportunity, you’ll learn about the many details you’ll need to address to get your business off the ground.

Because planning is an essential part of running a business or a project, Sheet Metal Business 101 introduces you to the tools you need to plan for successful business ownership—from carefully choosing your business name, to hiring the right people, to bidding accurately, to keeping track of your cash flow. You’ll also get a jump start on your own business plan—an essential marketing and financing tool in today’s construction market.

In the classroom, you’ll get a chance to face some of the ethical decisions that sheet metal contractors face every day. You’ll work together with your classmates to prepare and present bids for jobs in competition with each other. And you’ll hear from contractors and experts who have walked the walk. Before you leave the classroom, you will have taken your first big step: you’ll complete your own business plan as the final project of the course.

The course manual serves as a basic classroom text. The class will also be presented online, using the BlackBoard online classroom platform. The units will run for two weeks, with the lessons, reading, discussions and worksheets made available to the students on Sunday. Classroom time will be spent the following Saturday, with guest speakers, group activities and time allotted for completion of worksheets. All unit work will be due the following Saturday online, with the next unit being available again on Sunday.

The class will run for 10 weeks, with 5 classes being held at the Union Hall on Saturday from 9 AM to 2PM on alternate weekends. The class will be a total of 20 seat hours.

For those who would like to take advantage of the online component of the class they will be introduced to a variety of web sites that will support all that they will be learning in the class and supplemented with introductions to online office applications, blogs, video, text to speech applications, online conferences and focusing on Google and Microsoft Live sites.

All .pdf files for the worksheets will be stored on Microsoft Live and shared only with those active in the class, staying available to them for 2 weeks after the class is complete.

The reading material will be copied to the classroom platform and available to access with each unit. Links to all worksheets will be available within each unit in the classroom platform. All self assessments will be loaded and available as quizzes within the class also.

For students participating in the online portion of the class they will be required to communicate by e-mail and also post weekly within the classroom platform. They will be able to contact me by phone, and I will introduce blogs, by creating a discussion topic that each of them needs to post in response to. Within Microsoft Live they will use the Chat application to discuss progress on worksheets and they will use the web conferencing application if they have the technical capabilities.

Each unit has a number of web sites that are recommended sources, these will all be available online by links possibly in an aggregator or social bookmarking site.

Summarization of technology features and their use

Web Element	Present Information	Communicate	Collaborate
Classroom Online Platform, text links, web site links, and Quiz’s	√	√	√
Online office applications, access, save and modify a document within the site	√	√	√
Blogs w/entries and possible comments	√	√
Video	√
Text to speech applications	√
Google and Microsoft Live applications	√	√	√
Email, Phone	√	√	√

Weekly Outline

Intro night

Online	In Classroom
Introduction to Course	Introduction to Course
Thinking About going Into Business	Thinking About going Into Business
Self Assessment	Self Assessment
Reading	Reading
Worksheets 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.1.4	Worksheets 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.1.4
Risks and Rewards	Risks and Rewards
Reading	Reading
Worksheet 1.2.1	Worksheet 1.2.1
Establishing Your Sheet Metal Business Identity	Establishing Your Sheet Metal Business Identity
Reading	Reading
Checklist	Checklist
Links	Links
	Introduction to Office Live and Google
Marketing	Marketing
Reading	Reading
Links	Links
Introduction to Office Live and Google (website application)	Introduction to Office Live and Google (website application)
Introduction to Technology
Worksheet 1.P.1

Week 1

Online	In Classroom
Introduction to Course	Introduction to Course
Thinking About going Into Business	Thinking About going Into Business
Self Assessment	Self Assessment
Reading	Reading
Worksheets 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.1.4	Worksheets 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.1.4
Risks and Rewards	Risks and Rewards
Reading	Reading
Worksheet 1.2.1	Worksheet 1.2.1
SCORE	SCORE
Introduction	Introduction
Links
	Guest Speaker -
Establishing Your Sheet Metal Business Identity
Reading
Checklist
Links
Introduction to Office Live and Google
Establishing Your Sheet Metal Business Location
Reading
Worksheet 1.4.1
Links
Human Resources and Ethics	Human Resources and Ethics
Reading	Reading
Worksheet 1.5.1	Worksheet 1.5.1
	Guest Speaker – Greg Bush
It’s All About Planning
Worksheet 1.P.1

Week 2

Online	In Classroom
How To Succeed in Business	How To Succeed in Business
Attorneys, Tax Advisers, and Accountants	Attorneys, Tax Advisers, and Accountants
Reading	Reading
Worksheets 2.1.1	Worksheets 2.1.1
	Guest Speaker – John Backus –Accountant Mike Tobin - Attorney
Insurance, Bonding, and Financing	Insurance, Bonding, and Financing
Reading	Reading
	Guest Speaker - SCORE
Contracts	Contracts
Reading	Reading
Worksheets 2.3.1, 2.3.2	Worksheets 2.3.1, 2.3.2
Sample Contracts and Attachments	Sample Contracts and Attachments
	Guest Speaker – Mike Loweke
Help When You Need It	Help When You Need It
Reading	Reading
Continue Checklist	Continue Checklist
Links	Links
	Guest Speakers – Kirk Peterson - SMACNA
Technology
Social Aggregators
Calanders

Week 3

Online	In Classroom
Costs, Profits, Bidding, and Cash Flow	Costs, Profits, Bidding, and Cash Flow
Know Your Costs	Know Your Costs
Reading	Reading
Worksheets 3.1.1, 3.1.2	Worksheets 3.1.1, 3.1.2
	Guest Speaker – Tina Looke – Funds Office
Bidding on Profitability	Bidding on Profitability
Reading	Reading
Worksheet 3.2.1	Worksheet 3.2.1
	Guest Speaker – Fred Ledtke
Cash Flow	Cash Flow
Reading	Reading
Worksheets 3.3.1, 3.3.2	Worksheets 3.3.1, 3.3.2
	Guest Speaker – Rochester Works
Watching Costs, Not Failure	Watching Costs, Not Failure
Technology
Videos
Blogs

Week 4

Online	In Classroom
Preparing a Business Plan	Preparing a Business Plan
Writing the Plan	Writing the Plan
Reading	Reading
Worksheets 4.1.1	Worksheets 4.1.1
Sampling the Plans	Sampling the Plans
Reading	Reading
Sample Sheet Metal Business Plan	Sample Sheet Metal Business Plan
The Merits of Project Planning	The Merits of Project Planning
Reading	Reading
Worksheets 4.P.1	Worksheets 4.P.1
	Guest Speaker – Paul Johnson
Technology	Technology
Online Conferencing
Collaboration on Documents

Video Sharing

OK, I could have sworn I already did this one, but for some reason it is not here anywhere!

So my son and I were in VEGAS last week and we took a couple of videos, ok (he did!). But I helped him load them on Utube and post them so they could be seen by family friends, and anyone else who was interested.

Here are the links!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG9vvDQhdiE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkZTmGTgHeY

So as you can see the recording is not the best, but he is only 11! OK will be 12 in just days, but I think he did alright.

I thought it was relatively simple to do these and load them on Utube.

I have had my account for a long time and have never done much with it, I would like to create some union videos and post them for all to see!

My friend Ed Armour from Local 359 in Arizona sent me some links to a couple videos that he has created for the Sheet Metal Workers Union there. I will attach a link to them for you to view!

OK cant find it right now, will update tomorrow!

Online Test, Quiz and Polls

http://teachersites.schoolworld.com/webpages/MRobbins/myquiz.cfm#

Please Use for Log in:

First Name: Lucas

Last Name: Robbins

Password: lrobbins

If you click on the first quiz GMAW it is a short 4 question quiz that you can take and will be able to view the results. It will also show you the correct answer on any question that you got wrong.

This page is a part of my class web site, I started using the online testing last year. Most of my students did not take advantage of it.

This year I will be making it mandatory, as it is much easier for me to grade! It does it for me!!!

I can scan pictures and post them with the questions.

I can choose from a variety of question types, multiple choice (select the best answer), multiple choice (choose all that apply), true-false, or short answer.

I can set the dates the quiz is available.

I can choose if it is given in order, or if the questions are asked randomly.

I can choose if the correct answers are shown after the student takes the test.

I can choose if there is a time limit, or how many times a student can take the test.

This year I will be doing all of my tests and quizes online. I will be taking my whole class to the computer lab for testing. They will have access to Kerzwile which is a program that will read text to you, and therefore any student that has a problem with reading will be able to use the Kerzwile program and open the test site within that program and the test questions can then be read to the student.

I wont have any grading to do, and as all AWS (American Welding Society) tests, must be kept and records are recorded and saved for 3 years, I will have the ability to do this by simply printing out the class scores as a whole, in the grade book area, it tells me how many times a student attempted the test, the date and what their score was each time.

This helps with record keeping and as our students become more able to navigate the computer, the better prepared they will be for success in the workplace.

There are a variety of places to create tests and quizes, but I think I will use some simple polls for my class I will be adminstering at the Union Hall this year. I will be looking for feedback on what students think of the new class I will be facilitating and hope to get some good recommendations for improvement for it in the future!

I have enjoyed taking the polls and answering the questions that the class has put out there! I hope we get to see the results of those that did not provide with answers or results!